Notifications from an industrial automation development environment

ABSTRACT

An industrial integrated development environment (IDE) supports collaborative tools that allow multiple designers and programmers to remotely submit design input to the same automation system project in parallel while maintaining project consistency. The industrial IDE also permits localized development of system projects, and provides an infrastructure for intelligently brokering between conflicting edits submitted to common portions of the system project. To facilitate effective collaboration via efficient communication between developers, the IDE system can be configured to send push notifications to personal client devices in response to relevant events originating within the development environment relating to development of an automation system project.

BACKGROUND

The subject matter disclosed herein relates generally to industrial automation systems, and, for example, to industrial programming development platforms.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION

The following presents a simplified summary in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects described herein. This summary is not an extensive overview nor is intended to identify key/critical elements or to delineate the scope of the various aspects described herein. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.

In one or more embodiments, a system for collaborative cloud-based development of industrial applications is provided, comprising a user interface component configured to render integrated development environment (IDE) interfaces on respective client devices that remotely interface with an industrial project development environment on a cloud platform, and to receive, via interaction with the IDE interfaces, industrial design input that defines aspects of an industrial automation project; a project generation component configured to generate system project data based on the industrial design input; and a notification component configured to, in response to detection of an event originating within the industrial project development environment that is classified as a notification event, initiate sending of a push notification directed to a personal client device associated with a user designated to be notified of the event.

Also, one or more embodiments provide a method, comprising, rendering, by a system that executes on a cloud platform and comprises a processor, integrated development environment (IDE) interfaces on respective client devices communicatively connected to the cloud platform, the IDE interfaces providing access to an industrial project development platform; generating, by the system, system project data based on industrial design input received from the client devices via interaction with the IDE interfaces, wherein the industrial design input defines aspects of an industrial control and monitoring project; and in response to detecting an event originating within the industrial project development platform that is classified as a notification event, sending, by the system, a push notification directed to a personal client device associated with a user assigned to be notified of the event.

Also, according to one or more embodiments, a non-transitory computer-readable medium is provided having stored thereon instructions that, in response to execution, cause a system comprising a processor and executing on a cloud platform to perform operations, the operations comprising rendering, on respective client devices, integrated development environment (IDE) interfaces that provide access to an industrial project development platform; generating system project data based on industrial design input received from the client devices via interaction with the IDE interfaces, wherein the industrial design input defines aspects of an industrial automation project; and in response to detecting an event originating within the industrial project development platform that is classified as a notification event, sending a push notification directed to a personal client device associated with a user assigned to be notified of the event.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, certain illustrative aspects are described herein in connection with the following description and the annexed drawings. These aspects are indicative of various ways which can be practiced, all of which are intended to be covered herein. Other advantages and novel features may become apparent from the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an example industrial control environment.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an example integrated development environment (IDE) system.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a generalized architecture of an industrial IDE system.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating several example automation object properties that can be leveraged by the IDE system in connection with building, deploying, and executing a system project.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating example data flows associated with creation of a system project for an automation system being designed using an industrial IDE system.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example system project that incorporates automation objects into a project model.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating commissioning of a system project.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example architecture in which cloud-based IDE services are used to develop and deploy industrial applications to a plant environment.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating multi-tenancy of the cloud-based industrial IDE services in which different remote client devices leverage centralized industrial IDE services to individually submit design input directed to a common system project.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating multi-tenancy of cloud-based industrial IDE services in which respective client devices are permitted to separately customize their own development environment interfaces.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating mediation or brokering between different sets of design input directed to the same aspect of a system project.

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating interactions between a version of control code being tested and an automation system model.

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating distribution of update notifications to selected developers in response to receipt of a proposed design modification from another developer.

FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating delivery of development notifications to a personal client device, such as a smart phone or another personal device.

FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating retrieval of project updates after being notified via push notification.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart of an example methodology for delivering push notifications relating to events that originate within an industrial project development environment.

FIG. 17 is a flowchart of an example methodology for receiving customized notifications of events that originate within an industrial project development environment.

FIG. 18 is an example computing environment.

FIG. 19 is an example networking environment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The subject disclosure is now described with reference to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals are used to refer to like elements throughout. In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding thereof. It may be evident, however, that the subject disclosure can be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form in order to facilitate a description thereof.

As used in this application, the terms “component,” “system,” “platform,” “layer,” “controller,” “terminal,” “station,” “node,” “interface” are intended to refer to a computer-related entity or an entity related to, or that is part of, an operational apparatus with one or more specific functionalities, wherein such entities can be either hardware, a combination of hardware and software, software, or software in execution. For example, a component can be, but is not limited to being, a process running on a processor, a processor, a hard disk drive, multiple storage drives (of optical or magnetic storage medium) including affixed (e.g., screwed or bolted) or removable affixed solid-state storage drives; an object; an executable; a thread of execution; a computer-executable program, and/or a computer. By way of illustration, both an application running on a server and the server can be a component. One or more components can reside within a process and/or thread of execution, and a component can be localized on one computer and/or distributed between two or more computers. Also, components as described herein can execute from various computer readable storage media having various data structures stored thereon. The components may communicate via local and/or remote processes such as in accordance with a signal having one or more data packets (e.g., data from one component interacting with another component in a local system, distributed system, and/or across a network such as the Internet with other systems via the signal). As another example, a component can be an apparatus with specific functionality provided by mechanical parts operated by electric or electronic circuitry which is operated by a software or a firmware application executed by a processor, wherein the processor can be internal or external to the apparatus and executes at least a part of the software or firmware application. As yet another example, a component can be an apparatus that provides specific functionality through electronic components without mechanical parts, the electronic components can include a processor therein to execute software or firmware that provides at least in part the functionality of the electronic components. As further yet another example, interface(s) can include input/output (I/O) components as well as associated processor, application, or Application Programming Interface (API) components. While the foregoing examples are directed to aspects of a component, the exemplified aspects or features also apply to a system, platform, interface, layer, controller, terminal, and the like.

As used herein, the terms “to infer” and “inference” refer generally to the process of reasoning about or inferring states of the system, environment, and/or user from a set of observations as captured via events and/or data. Inference can be employed to identify a specific context or action, or can generate a probability distribution over states, for example. The inference can be probabilistic—that is, the computation of a probability distribution over states of interest based on a consideration of data and events. Inference can also refer to techniques employed for composing higher-level events from a set of events and/or data. Such inference results in the construction of new events or actions from a set of observed events and/or stored event data, whether or not the events are correlated in close temporal proximity, and whether the events and data come from one or several event and data sources.

In addition, the term “or” is intended to mean an inclusive “or” rather than an exclusive “or.” That is, unless specified otherwise, or clear from the context, the phrase “X employs A or B” is intended to mean any of the natural inclusive permutations. That is, the phrase “X employs A or B” is satisfied by any of the following instances: X employs A; X employs B; or X employs both A and B. In addition, the articles “a” and “an” as used in this application and the appended claims should generally be construed to mean “one or more” unless specified otherwise or clear from the context to be directed to a singular form.

Furthermore, the term “set” as employed herein excludes the empty set; e.g., the set with no elements therein. Thus, a “set” in the subject disclosure includes one or more elements or entities. As an illustration, a set of controllers includes one or more controllers; a set of data resources includes one or more data resources; etc. Likewise, the term “group” as utilized herein refers to a collection of one or more entities; e.g., a group of nodes refers to one or more nodes.

Various aspects or features will be presented in terms of systems that may include a number of devices, components, modules, and the like. It is to be understood and appreciated that the various systems may include additional devices, components, modules, etc. and/or may not include all of the devices, components, modules etc. discussed in connection with the figures. A combination of these approaches also can be used.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an example industrial control environment 100. In this example, a number of industrial controllers 118 are deployed throughout an industrial plant environment to monitor and control respective industrial systems or processes relating to product manufacture, machining, motion control, batch processing, material handling, or other such industrial functions. Industrial controllers 118 typically execute respective control programs to facilitate monitoring and control of industrial devices 120 making up the controlled industrial assets or systems (e.g., industrial machines). One or more industrial controllers 118 may also comprise a soft controller executed on a personal computer or other hardware platform, or on a cloud platform. Some hybrid devices may also combine controller functionality with other functions (e.g., visualization). The control programs executed by industrial controllers 118 can comprise substantially any type of code capable of processing input signals read from the industrial devices 120 and controlling output signals generated by the industrial controllers 118, including but not limited to ladder logic, sequential function charts, function block diagrams, or structured text.

Industrial devices 120 may include both input devices that provide data relating to the controlled industrial systems to the industrial controllers 118, and output devices that respond to control signals generated by the industrial controllers 118 to control aspects of the industrial systems. Example input devices can include telemetry devices (e.g., temperature sensors, flow meters, level sensors, pressure sensors, etc.), manual operator control devices (e.g., push buttons, selector switches, etc.), safety monitoring devices (e.g., safety mats, safety pull cords, light curtains, etc.), and other such devices. Output devices may include motor drives, pneumatic actuators, signaling devices, robot control inputs, valves, pumps, and the like.

Industrial controllers 118 may communicatively interface with industrial devices 120 over hardwired or networked connections. For example, industrial controllers 118 can be equipped with native hardwired inputs and outputs that communicate with the industrial devices 120 to effect control of the devices. The native controller I/O can include digital I/O that transmits and receives discrete voltage signals to and from the field devices, or analog I/O that transmits and receives analog voltage or current signals to and from the devices. The controller I/O can communicate with a controller's processor over a backplane such that the digital and analog signals can be read into and controlled by the control programs. Industrial controllers 118 can also communicate with industrial devices 120 over a network using, for example, a communication module or an integrated networking port. Exemplary networks can include the Internet, intranets, Ethernet, DeviceNet, ControlNet, Data Highway and Data Highway Plus (DH/DH+), Remote I/O, Fieldbus, Modbus, Profibus, wireless networks, serial protocols, and the like. The industrial controllers 118 can also store persisted data values that can be referenced by their associated control programs and used for control decisions, including but not limited to measured or calculated values representing operational states of a controlled machine or process (e.g., tank levels, positions, alarms, etc.) or captured time series data that is collected during operation of the automation system (e.g., status information for multiple points in time, diagnostic occurrences, etc.). Similarly, some intelligent devices—including but not limited to motor drives, instruments, or condition monitoring modules—may store data values that are used for control and/or to visualize states of operation. Such devices may also capture time-series data or events on a log for later retrieval and viewing.

Industrial automation systems often include one or more human-machine interface (HMI) terminals 114 that allow plant personnel to view telemetry and status data associated with the automation systems, and to control some aspects of system operation. HMI terminals 114 may communicate with one or more of the industrial controllers 118 over a plant network 116, and exchange data with the industrial controllers to facilitate visualization of information relating to the controlled industrial processes on one or more pre-developed operator interface screens. HMI terminals 114 can also be configured to allow operators to submit data to specified data tags or memory addresses of the industrial controllers 118, thereby providing a means for operators to issue commands to the controlled systems (e.g., cycle start commands, device actuation commands, etc.), to modify setpoint values, etc. HMI terminals 114 can generate one or more display screens through which the operator interacts with the industrial controllers 118, and thereby with the controlled processes and/or systems. Example display screens can visualize present states of industrial systems or their associated devices using graphical representations of the processes that display metered or calculated values, employ color or position animations based on state, render alarm notifications, or employ other such techniques for presenting relevant data to the operator. Data presented in this manner is read from industrial controllers 118 by HMI terminals 114 and presented on one or more of the display screens according to display formats chosen by the HMI developer. HMIs may comprise fixed location or mobile devices with either user-installed or pre-installed operating systems, and either user-installed or pre-installed graphical application software.

Some industrial environments may also include other systems or devices relating to specific aspects of the controlled industrial systems. These may include, for example, a data historian 110 that aggregates and stores production information collected from the industrial controllers 118 or other data sources, device documentation stores containing electronic documentation for the various industrial devices making up the controlled industrial systems, inventory tracking systems, work order management systems, repositories for machine or process drawings and documentation, vendor product documentation storage, vendor knowledgebases, internal knowledgebases, work scheduling applications, or other such systems, some or all of which may reside on an office network 108 of the industrial environment.

Higher-level systems 126 may carry out functions that are less directly related to control of the industrial automation systems on the plant floor, and instead are directed to long term planning, high-level supervisory control, analytics, reporting, or other such high-level functions. These systems 126 may reside on the office network 108 at an external location relative to the plant facility, or on a cloud platform with access to the office and/or plant networks. Higher-level systems 126 may include, but are not limited to, cloud storage and analysis systems, big data analysis systems, manufacturing execution systems, data lakes, reporting systems, etc. In some scenarios, applications running at these higher levels of the enterprise may be configured to analyze control system operational data, and the results of this analysis may be fed back to an operator at the control system or directly to a controller 118 or device 120 in the control system.

The various control, monitoring, and analytical devices that make up an industrial environment must be programmed or configured using respective configuration applications specific to each device. For example, industrial controllers 118 are typically configured and programmed using a control programming development application such as a ladder logic editor (e.g., executing on a client device 124). Using such development platforms, a designer can write control programming (e.g., ladder logic, structured text, function block diagrams, etc.) for carrying out a desired industrial sequence or process and download the resulting program files to the controller 118. Separately, developers design visualization screens and associated navigation structures for HMI terminals 114 using an HMI development platform (e.g., executing on client device 122) and download the resulting visualization files to the HMI terminals 114. Some industrial devices 120—such as motor drives, telemetry devices, safety input devices, etc.—may also require configuration using separate device configuration tools (e.g., executing on client device 128) that are specific to the device being configured. Such device configuration tools may be used to set device parameters or operating modes (e.g., high/low limits, output signal formats, scale factors, energy consumption modes, etc.).

The necessity of using separate configuration tools to program and configure disparate aspects of an industrial automation system results in a piecemeal design approach whereby different but related or overlapping aspects of an automation system are designed, configured, and programmed separately on different development environments. For example, a motion control system may require an industrial controller to be programmed and a control loop to be tuned using a control logic programming platform, a motor drive to be configured using another configuration platform, and an associated HMI to be programmed using a visualization development platform. Related peripheral systems—such as vision systems, safety systems, etc.—may also require configuration using separate programming or development applications.

This segregated development approach can also necessitate considerable testing and debugging efforts to ensure proper integration of the separately configured system aspects. In this regard, intended data interfacing or coordinated actions between the different system aspects may require significant debugging due to a failure to properly coordinate disparate programming efforts.

Industrial development platforms are also limited in their ability to support a collaborative development environment that allows multiple developers to work on a given automation system project in parallel.

To address at least some of these or other issues, one or more embodiments described herein provide an integrated development environment (IDE) for designing, programming, and configuring multiple aspects of an industrial automation system using a common design environment and data model. Embodiments of the industrial IDE can be used to configure and manage automation system devices in a common way, facilitating integrated, multi-discipline programming of control, visualization, and other aspects of the control system.

In general, the industrial IDE supports features that span the full automation lifecycle, including design (e.g., device selection and sizing, controller programming, visualization development, device configuration, testing, etc.); installation, configuration and commissioning; operation, improvement, and administration; and troubleshooting, expanding, and upgrading.

Embodiments of the industrial IDE can include a library of modular code and visualizations that are specific to industry verticals and common industrial applications within those verticals. These code and visualization modules can simplify development and shorten the development cycle, while also supporting consistency and reuse across an industrial enterprise.

Cloud-based embodiments of the industrial IDE can also support collaborative tools that allow multiple designers and programmers to remotely submit design input to the same automation system project in parallel while maintaining project consistency. These collaborative features can include, for example, brokering between different sets of design input directed to the same portion of the system project, generating notifications to remote designers when a portion of the system project is modified, sharing of development interfaces or environments, facilitating involvement of outside technical support experts to assist with design issues, or other such features. These collaborative tools also include notification services that can deliver notifications to developers of relevant updates to the system project implemented by other developers. The IDE can deliver these notifications to the recipient both within their development environment as well as to personal client devices outside the development environment to ensure that developers are informed of relevant project updates in a timely manner even if the developer is not currently viewing their IDE development workspace.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an example integrated development environment (IDE) system 202 according to one or more embodiments of this disclosure. Aspects of the systems, apparatuses, or processes explained in this disclosure can constitute machine-executable components embodied within machine(s), e.g., embodied in one or more computer-readable mediums (or media) associated with one or more machines. Such components, when executed by one or more machines, e.g., computer(s), computing device(s), automation device(s), virtual machine(s), etc., can cause the machine(s) to perform the operations described.

IDE system 202 can include a user interface component 204 including an IDE editor 224, a project generation component 206, a project deployment component 208, a collaboration management component 210, a simulation component 212, a notification component 214, one or more processors 218, and memory 220. In various embodiments, one or more of the user interface component 204, project generation component 206, project deployment component 208, collaboration management component 210, simulation component 212, notification component 214, the one or more processors 218, and memory 220 can be electrically and/or communicatively coupled to one another to perform one or more of the functions of the IDE system 202. In some embodiments, components 204, 206, 208, 210, 212, and 214 can comprise software instructions stored on memory 220 and executed by processor(s) 218. IDE system 202 may also interact with other hardware and/or software components not depicted in FIG. 2. For example, processor(s) 218 may interact with one or more external user interface devices, such as a keyboard, a mouse, a display monitor, a touchscreen, or other such interface devices.

User interface component 204 can be configured to receive user input and to render output to the user in any suitable format (e.g., visual, audio, tactile, etc.). In some embodiments, user interface component 204 can be configured to communicatively interface with an IDE client that executes on a client device (e.g., a laptop computer, tablet computer, smart phone, etc.) that is communicatively connected to the IDE system 202 (e.g., via a hardwired or wireless connection). The user interface component 204 can then receive user input data and render output data via the IDE client. In other embodiments, user interface component 314 can be configured to generate and serve suitable interface screens to a client device (e.g., program development screens), and exchange data via these interface screens. Input data that can be received via various embodiments of user interface component 204 can include, but is not limited to, programming code, industrial design specifications or goals, engineering drawings, AR/VR input, domain specific language (DSL) definitions, video or image data, or other such input. Output data rendered by various embodiments of user interface component 204 can include program code, programming feedback (e.g., error and highlighting, coding suggestions, etc.), programming and visualization development screens, etc.

Project generation component 206 can be configured to create a system project comprising one or more project files based on design input received via the user interface component 204, as well as industrial knowledge, predefined code modules and visualizations, and automation objects 222 maintained by the IDE system 202. Project deployment component 208 can be configured to commission the system project created by the project generation component 206 to appropriate industrial devices (e.g., controllers, HMI terminals, motor drives, AR/VR systems, etc.) for execution. To this end, project deployment component 208 can identify the appropriate target devices to which respective portions of the system project should be sent for execution, translate these respective portions to formats understandable by the target devices, and deploy the translated project components to their corresponding devices.

Collaboration management component 210 can be configured to manage and regulate design input submitted by multiple developers in a manner that ensures project consistency and coordination between developers. Simulation component 212 can be configured to perform test simulations on different versions of design input directed to a common aspect of a system project and submit the results to the collaboration management component 210 for the purposes of selecting between the different design ideas for inclusion in the system project. Notification component 214 can be configured to generate and deliver notifications to developers regarding updates made to a system project on which the recipients are working.

The one or more processors 218 can perform one or more of the functions described herein with reference to the systems and/or methods disclosed. Memory 220 can be a computer-readable storage medium storing computer-executable instructions and/or information for performing the functions described herein with reference to the systems and/or methods disclosed.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a generalized architecture of the industrial IDE system 202 according to one or more embodiments. Industrial IDE system 202 can implement a common set of services and workflows spanning not only design, but also commissioning, operation, and maintenance. In terms of design, the IDE system 202 can support not only industrial controller programming and HMI development, but also sizing and selection of system components, device/system configuration, AR/VR visualizations, and other features. The IDE system 202 can also include tools that simplify and automate commissioning of the resulting project and assist with subsequent administration of the deployed system during runtime.

Embodiments of the IDE system 202 that are implemented on a cloud platform also facilitate collaborative project development whereby multiple developers 304 contribute design and programming input to a common automation system project 302. Collaborative tools supported by the IDE system can manage design contributions from the multiple contributors and perform version control of the aggregate system project 302 to ensure project consistency. Collaborative features supported by the industrial IDE system are described in more detail herein.

Based on design and programming input from one or more developers 304, IDE system 202 generates a system project 302 comprising one or more project files. The system project 302 encodes one or more of control programming; HMI, AR, and/or VR visualizations; device or sub-system configuration data (e.g., drive parameters, vision system configurations, telemetry device parameters, safety zone definitions, etc.); or other such aspects of an industrial automation system being designed. IDE system 202 can identify the appropriate target devices 306 on which respective aspects of the system project 302 should be executed (e.g., industrial controllers, HMI terminals, variable frequency drives, safety devices, etc.), translate the system project 302 to executable files that can be executed on the respective target devices, and deploy the executable files to their corresponding target devices 306 for execution, thereby commissioning the system project 302 to the plant floor for implementation of the automation project.

To support enhanced development capabilities, some embodiments of IDE system 202 can be built on an object-based data model rather than a tag-based architecture. Automation objects 222 serve as the building block for this object-based development architecture. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating several example automation object properties that can be leveraged by the IDE system 202 in connection with building, deploying, and executing a system project 302. Automation objects 222 can be created and augmented during design, integrated into larger data models, and consumed during runtime. These automation objects 222 provide a common data structure across the IDE system 202 and can be stored in an object library (e.g., part of memory 220) for reuse. The object library can store predefined automation objects 222 representing various classifications of real-world industrial assets 402, including but not limited to pumps, tanks, values, motors, motor drives (e.g., variable frequency drives), industrial robots, actuators (e.g., pneumatic or hydraulic actuators), or other such assets. Automation objects 222 can represent elements at substantially any level of an industrial enterprise, including individual devices, machines made up of many industrial devices and components (some of which may be associated with their own automation objects 222), and entire production lines or process control systems.

An automation object 222 for a given type of industrial asset can encode such aspects as 2D or 3D visualizations, alarms, control coding (e.g., logic or other type of control programming), analytics, startup procedures, testing protocols, validation reports, simulations, schematics, security protocols, and other such properties associated with the industrial asset 402 represented by the object 222. Automation objects 222 can also be geotagged with location information identifying the location of the associated asset. During runtime of the system project 302, the automation object 222 corresponding to a given real-world asset 402 can also record status or operational history data for the asset. In general, automation objects 222 serve as programmatic representations of their corresponding industrial assets 402 and can be incorporated into a system project 302 as elements of control code, a 2D or 3D visualization, a knowledgebase or maintenance guidance system for the industrial assets, or other such aspects.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating example data flows associated with creation of a system project 302 for an automation system being designed using IDE system 202 according to one or more embodiments. A client device 504 (e.g., a laptop computer, tablet computer, desktop computer, mobile device, wearable AR/VR appliance, etc.) executing an IDE client 514 can access the IDE system's project development tools and leverage these tools to create a comprehensive system project 302 for an automation system being developed. Through interaction with the system's user interface component 204, developers can submit design input 512 to the IDE system 202 in various supported formats, including industry-specific control programming (e.g., control logic, structured text, sequential function charts, etc.) and HMI screen configuration input. Based on this design input 512 and information stored in an industry knowledgebase (predefined code modules 508 and visualizations 510, guardrail templates 506, physics-based rules 516, etc.), user interface component 204 renders design feedback 518 designed to assist the developer in connection with developing a system project 302 for configuration, control, and visualization of an industrial automation system.

In addition to control programming and visualization definitions, some embodiments of IDE system 202 can be configured to receive digital engineering drawings (e.g., computer-aided design (CAD) files) as design input 512. In such embodiments, project generation component 206 can generate portions of the system project 302—e.g., by automatically generating control and/or visualization code—based on analysis of existing design drawings. Drawings that can be submitted as design input 512 can include, but are not limited to, P&ID drawings, mechanical drawings, flow diagrams, or other such documents. For example, a P&ID drawing can be imported into the IDE system 202, and project generation component 206 can identify elements (e.g., tanks, pumps, etc.) and relationships therebetween conveyed by the drawings. Project generation component 206 can associate or map elements identified in the drawings with appropriate automation objects 222 corresponding to these elements (e.g., tanks, pumps, etc.) and add these automation objects 222 to the system project 302. The device-specific and asset-specific automation objects 222 include suitable code and visualizations to be associated with the elements identified in the drawings. In general, the IDE system 202 can examine one or more different types of drawings (mechanical, electrical, piping, etc.) to determine relationships between devices, machines, and/or assets (including identifying common elements across different drawings) and intelligently associate these elements with appropriate automation objects 222, code modules 508, and/or visualizations 510. The IDE system 202 can leverage physics-based rules 516 as well as pre-defined code modules 508 and visualizations 510 as necessary in connection with generating code or project data for system project 302.

The IDE system 202 can also determine whether pre-defined visualization content is available for any of the objects discovered in the drawings and generate appropriate HMI screens or AR/VR content for the discovered objects based on these pre-defined visualizations. To this end, the IDE system 202 can store industry-specific, asset-specific, and/or application-specific visualizations 510 that can be accessed by the project generation component 206 as needed. These visualizations 510 can be classified according to industry or industrial vertical (e.g., automotive, food and drug, oil and gas, pharmaceutical, etc.), type of industrial asset (e.g., a type of machine or industrial device), a type of industrial application (e.g., batch processing, flow control, web tension control, sheet metal stamping, water treatment, etc.), or other such categories. Predefined visualizations 510 can comprise visualizations in a variety of formats, including but not limited to HMI screens or windows, mashups that aggregate data from multiple pre-specified sources, AR overlays, VR objects representing 3D virtualizations of the associated industrial asset, or other such visualization formats. IDE system 202 can select a suitable visualization for a given object based on a predefined association between the object type and the visualization content.

In another example, markings applied to an engineering drawing by a user can be understood by some embodiments of the project generation component 206 to convey a specific design intention or parameter. For example, a marking in red pen can be understood to indicate a safety zone, two circles connected by a dashed line can be interpreted as a gearing relationship, and a bold line may indicate a camming relationship. In this way, a designer can sketch out design goals on an existing drawing in a manner that can be understood and leveraged by the IDE system 202 to generate code and visualizations. In another example, the project generation component 206 can learn permissives and interlocks (e.g., valves and their associated states) that serve as necessary preconditions for starting a machine based on analysis of the user's CAD drawings. Project generation component 206 can generate any suitable code (ladder logic, function blocks, etc.), device configurations, and visualizations based on analysis of these drawings and markings for incorporation into system project 302. In some embodiments, user interface component 204 can include design tools for developing engineering drawings within the IDE platform itself, and the project generation component 206 can generate this code as a background process as the user is creating the drawings for a new project. In some embodiments, project generation component 206 can also translate state machine drawings to a corresponding programming sequence, yielding at least skeletal code that can be enhanced by the developer with additional programming details as needed.

Also, or in addition, some embodiments of IDE system 202 can support goal-based automated programming. For example, the user interface component 204 can allow the user to specify production goals for an automation system being designed (e.g., specifying that a bottling plant being designed must be capable of producing at least 5000 bottles per second during normal operation) and any other relevant design constraints applied to the design project (e.g., budget limitations, available floor space, available control cabinet space, etc.). Based on this information, the project generation component 206 will generate portions of the system project 302 to satisfy the specified design goals and constraints. Portions of the system project 302 that can be generated in this manner can include, but are not limited to, device and equipment selections (e.g., definitions of how many pumps, controllers, stations, conveyors, drives, or other assets will be needed to satisfy the specified goal), associated device configurations (e.g., tuning parameters, network settings, drive parameters, etc.), control coding, or HMI screens suitable for visualizing the automation system being designed.

Some embodiments of the project generation component 206 can also generate at least some of the project code for system project 302 based on knowledge of parts that have been ordered for the project being developed. This can involve accessing the customer's account information maintained by an equipment vendor to identify devices that have been purchased for the project. Based on this information the project generation component 206 can add appropriate automation objects 222 and associated code modules 508 corresponding to the purchased assets, thereby providing a starting point for project development.

Some embodiments of project generation component 206 can also monitor customer-specific design approaches for commonly programmed functions (e.g., pumping applications, batch processes, palletizing operations, etc.) and generate recommendations for design modules (e.g., code modules 508, visualizations 510, etc.) that the user may wish to incorporate into a current design project based on an inference of the designer's goals and learned approaches to achieving the goal. To this end, some embodiments of project generation component 206 can be configured to monitor design input 512 over time and, based on this monitoring, learn correlations between certain design actions (e.g., addition of certain code modules or snippets to design projects, selection of certain visualizations, etc.) and types of industrial assets, industrial sequences, or industrial processes being designed. Project generation component 206 can record these learned correlations and generate recommendations during subsequent project development sessions based on these correlations. For example, if project generation component 206 determines, based on analysis of design input 512, that a designer is currently developing a control project involving a type of industrial equipment that has been programmed and/or visualized in the past in a repeated, predictable manner, the project generation component 206 can instruct user interface component 204 to render recommended development steps or code modules 508 the designer may wish to incorporate into the system project 302 based on how this equipment was configured and/or programmed in the past.

In some embodiments, IDE system 202 can also store and implement guardrail templates 506 that define design guardrails intended to ensure the project's compliance with internal or external design standards. Based on design parameters defined by one or more selected guardrail templates 506, user interface component 204 can provide, as a subset of design feedback 518, dynamic recommendations or other types of feedback designed to guide the developer in a manner that ensures compliance of the system project 302 with internal or external requirements or standards (e.g., certifications such as TUV certification, in-house design standards, industry-specific or vertical-specific design standards, etc.). This feedback 518 can take the form of text-based recommendations (e.g., recommendations to rewrite an indicated portion of control code to comply with a defined programming standard), syntax highlighting, error highlighting, auto-completion of code snippets, or other such formats. In this way, IDE system 202 can customize design feedback 518—including programming recommendations, recommendations of predefined code modules 508 or visualizations 510, error and syntax highlighting, etc.—in accordance with the type of industrial system being developed and any applicable in-house design standards.

Guardrail templates 506 can also be designed to maintain compliance with global best practices applicable to control programming or other aspects of project development. For example, user interface component 204 may generate and render an alert if a developer's control programing is deemed to be too complex as defined by criteria specified by one or more guardrail templates 506. Since different verticals (e.g., automotive, pharmaceutical, oil and gas, food and drug, marine, etc.) must adhere to different standards and certifications, the IDE system 202 can maintain a library of guardrail templates 506 for different internal and external standards and certifications, including customized user-specific guardrail templates 506. These guardrail templates 506 can be classified according to industrial vertical, type of industrial application, plant facility (in the case of custom in-house guardrail templates 506) or other such categories. During development, project generation component 206 can select and apply a subset of guardrail templates 506 determined to be relevant to the project currently being developed, based on a determination of such aspects as the industrial vertical to which the project relates, the type of industrial application being programmed (e.g., flow control, web tension control, a certain batch process, etc.), or other such aspects. Project generation component 206 can leverage guardrail templates 506 to implement rules-based programming, whereby programming feedback (a subset of design feedback 518) such as dynamic intelligent autocorrection, type-aheads, or coding suggestions are rendered based on encoded industry expertise and best practices (e.g., identifying inefficiencies in code being developed and recommending appropriate corrections).

Users can also run their own internal guardrail templates 506 against code provided by outside vendors (e.g., OEMs) to ensure that this code complies with in-house programming standards. In such scenarios, vendor-provided code can be submitted to the IDE system 202, and project generation component 206 can analyze this code in view of in-house coding standards specified by one or more custom guardrail templates 506. Based on results of this analysis, user interface component 204 can indicate portions of the vendor-provided code (e.g., using highlights, overlaid text, etc.) that do not conform to the programming standards set forth by the guardrail templates 506, and display suggestions for modifying the code in order to bring the code into compliance. As an alternative or in addition to recommending these modifications, some embodiments of project generation component 206 can be configured to automatically modify the code in accordance with the recommendations to bring the code into conformance.

In making coding suggestions as part of design feedback 518, project generation component 206 can invoke selected code modules 508 stored in a code module database (e.g., on memory 220). These code modules 508 comprise standardized coding segments for controlling common industrial tasks or applications (e.g., palletizing, flow control, web tension control, pick-and-place applications, conveyor control, etc.). In some embodiments, code modules 508 can be categorized according to one or more of an industrial vertical (e.g., automotive, food and drug, oil and gas, textiles, marine, pharmaceutical, etc.), an industrial application, or a type of machine or device to which the code module 508 is applicable. In some embodiments, project generation component 206 can infer a programmer's current programming task or design goal based on programmatic input being provided by a the programmer (as a subset of design input 512), and determine, based on this task or goal, whether one of the pre-defined code modules 508 may be appropriately added to the control program being developed to achieve the inferred task or goal. For example, project generation component 206 may infer, based on analysis of design input 512, that the programmer is currently developing control code for transferring material from a first tank to another tank, and in response, recommend inclusion of a predefined code module 508 comprising standardized or frequently utilized code for controlling the valves, pumps, or other assets necessary to achieve the material transfer.

Customized guardrail templates 506 can also be defined to capture nuances of a customer site that should be taken into consideration in the project design. For example, a guardrail template 506 could record the fact that the automation system being designed will be installed in a region where power outages are common, and will factor this consideration when generating design feedback 518; e.g., by recommending implementation of backup uninterruptable power supplies and suggesting how these should be incorporated, as well as recommending associated programming or control strategies that take these outages into account.

IDE system 202 can also use guardrail templates 506 to guide user selection of equipment or devices for a given design goal; e.g., based on the industrial vertical, type of control application (e.g., sheet metal stamping, die casting, palletization, conveyor control, web tension control, batch processing, etc.), budgetary constraints for the project, physical constraints at the installation site (e.g., available floor, wall or cabinet space; dimensions of the installation space; etc.), equipment already existing at the site, etc. Some or all of these parameters and constraints can be provided as design input 512, and user interface component 204 can render the equipment recommendations as a subset of design feedback 518. In some embodiments, project generation component 206 can also determine whether some or all existing equipment can be repurposed for the new control system being designed. For example, if a new bottling line is to be added to a production area, there may be an opportunity to leverage existing equipment since some bottling lines already exist. The decision as to which devices and equipment can be reused will affect the design of the new control system. Accordingly, some of the design input 512 provided to the IDE system 202 can include specifics of the customer's existing systems within or near the installation site. In some embodiments, project generation component 206 can apply artificial intelligence (AI) or traditional analytic approaches to this information to determine whether existing equipment specified in design in put 512 can be repurposed or leveraged. Based on results of this analysis, project generation component 206 can generate, as design feedback 518, a list of any new equipment that may need to be purchased based on these decisions.

In some embodiments, IDE system 202 can offer design recommendations based on an understanding of the physical environment within which the automation system being designed will be installed. To this end, information regarding the physical environment can be submitted to the IDE system 202 (as part of design input 512) in the form of 2D or 3D images or video of the plant environment. This environmental information can also be obtained from an existing digital twin of the plant, or by analysis of scanned environmental data obtained by a wearable AR appliance in some embodiments. Project generation component 206 can analyze this image, video, or digital twin data to identify physical elements within the installation area (e.g., walls, girders, safety fences, existing machines and devices, etc.) and physical relationships between these elements. This can include ascertaining distances between machines, lengths of piping runs, locations and distances of wiring harnesses or cable trays, etc. Based on results of this analysis, project generation component 206 can add context to schematics generated as part of system project 302, generate recommendations regarding optimal locations for devices or machines (e.g., recommending a minimum separation between power and data cables), or make other refinements to the system project 302. At least some of this design data can be generated based on physics-based rules 516, which can be referenced by project generation component 206 to determine such physical design specifications as minimum safe distances from hazardous equipment (which may also factor into determining suitable locations for installation of safety devices relative to this equipment, given expected human or vehicle reaction times defined by the physics-based rules 516), material selections capable of withstanding expected loads, piping configurations and tuning for a specified flow control application, wiring gauges suitable for an expected electrical load, minimum distances between signal wiring and electromagnetic field (EMF) sources to ensure negligible electrical interference on data signals, or other such design features that are dependent on physical rules.

In an example use case, relative locations of machines and devices specified by physical environment information submitted to the IDE system 202 can be used by the project generation component 206 to generate design data for an industrial safety system. For example, project generation component 206 can analyze distance measurements between safety equipment and hazardous machines and, based on these measurements, determine suitable placements and configurations of safety devices and associated safety controllers that ensure the machine will shut down within a sufficient safety reaction time to prevent injury (e.g., in the event that a person runs through a light curtain).

In some embodiments, project generation component 206 can also analyze photographic or video data of an existing machine to determine inline mechanical properties such as gearing or camming and factor this information into one or more guardrail templates 506 or design recommendations.

As noted above, the system project 302 generated by IDE system 202 for a given automaton system being designed can be built upon an object-based architecture that uses automation objects 222 as building blocks. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example system project 302 that incorporates automation objects 222 into the project model. In this example, various automation objects 222 representing analogous industrial devices, systems, or assets of an automation system (e.g., a process, tanks, valves, pumps, etc.) have been incorporated into system project 302 as elements of a larger project data model 602. The project data model 602 also defines hierarchical relationships between these automation objects 222. According to an example relationship, a process automation object representing a batch process may be defined as a parent object to a number of child objects representing devices and equipment that carry out the process, such as tanks, pumps, and valves. Each automation object 222 has associated therewith object properties or attributes specific to its corresponding industrial asset (e.g., those discussed above in connection with FIG. 4), including executable control programming for controlling the asset (or for coordinating the actions of the asset with other industrial assets) and visualizations that can be used to render relevant information about the asset during runtime.

At least some of the attributes of each automation object 222 are default properties defined by the IDE system 202 based on encoded industry expertise pertaining to the asset represented by the objects. Other properties can be modified or added by the developer as needed (via design input 512) to customize the object 222 for the particular asset and/or industrial application for which the system projects 302 is being developed. This can include, for example, associating customized control code, HMI screens, AR presentations, or help files associated with selected automation objects 222. In this way, automation objects 222 can be created and augmented as needed during design for consumption or execution by target control devices during runtime.

Once development on a system project 302 has been completed, commissioning tools supported by the IDE system 202 can simplify the process of commissioning the project in the field. When the system project 302 for a given automation system has been completed, the system project 302 can be deployed to one or more target control devices for execution. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating commissioning of a system project 302. Project deployment component 208 can compile or otherwise translate a completed system project 302 into one or more executable files or configuration files that can be stored and executed on respective target industrial devices of the automation system (e.g., industrial controllers 118, HMI terminals 114 or other types of visualization systems, motor drives 710, telemetry devices, vision systems, safety relays, etc.).

Conventional control program development platforms require the developer to specify the type of industrial controller (e.g., the controller's model number) on which the control program will run prior to development, thereby binding the control programming to a specified controller. Controller-specific guardrails are then enforced during program development which limit how the program is developed given the capabilities of the selected controller. By contrast, some embodiments of the IDE system 202 can abstract project development from the specific controller type, allowing the designer to develop the system project 302 as a logical representation of the automation system in a manner that is agnostic to where and how the various control aspects of system project 302 will run. Once project development is complete and system project 302 is ready for commissioning, the user can specify (via user interface component 204) target devices on which respective aspects of the system project 302 are to be executed. In response, an allocation engine of the project deployment component 208 will translate aspects of the system project 302 to respective executable files formatted for storage and execution on their respective target devices.

For example, system project 302 may include—among other project aspects—control code, visualization screen definitions, and motor drive parameter definitions. Upon completion of project development, a user can identify which target devices—including an industrial controller 118, an HMI terminal 114, and a motor drive 710—are to execute or receive these respective aspects of the system project 302. Project deployment component 208 can then translate the controller code defined by the system project 302 to a control program file 702 formatted for execution on the specified industrial controller 118 and send this control program file 702 to the controller 118 (e.g., via plant network 116). Similarly, project deployment component 208 can translate the visualization definitions and motor drive parameter definitions to a visualization application 704 and a device configuration file 708, respectively, and deploy these files to their respective target devices for execution and/or device configuration.

In general, project deployment component 208 performs any conversions necessary to allow aspects of system project 302 to execute on the specified devices. Any inherent relationships, handshakes, or data sharing defined in the system project 302 are maintained regardless of how the various elements of the system project 302 are distributed. In this way, embodiments of the IDE system 202 can decouple the project from how and where the project is to be run. This also allows the same system project 302 to be commissioned at different plant facilities having different sets of control equipment. That is, some embodiments of the IDE system 202 can allocate project code to different target devices as a function of the particular devices found on-site. IDE system 202 can also allow some portions of the project file to be commissioned as an emulator or on a cloud-based controller.

As an alternative to having the user specify the target control devices to which the system project 302 is to be deployed, some embodiments of IDE system 202 can actively connect to the plant network 116 and discover available devices, ascertain the control hardware architecture present on the plant floor, infer appropriate target devices for respective executable aspects of system project 302, and deploy the system project 302 to these selected target devices. As part of this commissioning process, IDE system 202 can also connect to remote knowledgebases (e.g., web-based or cloud-based knowledgebases) to determine which discovered devices are out of date or require firmware upgrade to properly execute the system project 302. In this way, the IDE system 202 can serve as a link between device vendors and a customer's plant ecosystem via a trusted connection in the cloud.

Copies of system project 302 can be propagated to multiple plant facilities having varying equipment configurations using smart propagation, whereby the project deployment component 208 intelligently associates project components with the correct industrial asset or control device even if the equipment on-site does not perfectly match the defined target (e.g., if different pump types are found at different sites). For target devices that do not perfectly match the expected asset, project deployment component 208 can calculate the estimated impact of running the system project 302 on non-optimal target equipment and generate warnings or recommendations for mitigating expected deviations from optimal project execution.

As noted above, some embodiments of IDE system 202 can be embodied on a cloud platform. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example architecture in which cloud-based IDE services 802 are used to develop and deploy industrial applications to a plant environment. In this example, the industrial environment includes one or more industrial controllers 118, HMI terminals 114, motor drives 710, servers 801 running higher level applications (e.g., ERP, MES, etc.), and other such industrial assets. These industrial assets are connected to a plant network 116 (e.g., a common industrial protocol network, an Ethernet/IP network, etc.) that facilitates data exchange between industrial devices on the plant floor. Plant network 116 may be a wired or a wireless network. In the illustrated example, the high-level servers 810 reside on a separate office network 108 that is connected to the plant network 116 (e.g., through a router 808 or other network infrastructure device).

In this example, IDE system 202 resides on a cloud platform 806 and executes as a set of cloud-based IDE service 802 that are accessible to authorized remote client devices 504. Cloud platform 806 can be any infrastructure that allows shared computing services (such as IDE services 802) to be accessed and utilized by cloud-capable devices. Cloud platform 806 can be a public cloud accessible via the Internet by devices 504 having Internet connectivity and appropriate authorizations to utilize the IDE services 802. In some scenarios, cloud platform 806 can be provided by a cloud provider as a platform-as-a-service (PaaS), and the IDE services 802 can reside and execute on the cloud platform 806 as a cloud-based service. In some such configurations, access to the cloud platform 806 and associated IDE services 802 can be provided to customers as a subscription service by an owner of the IDE services 802. Alternatively, cloud platform 806 can be a private cloud operated internally by the industrial enterprise (the owner of the plant facility). An example private cloud platform can comprise a set of servers hosting the IDE services 802 and residing on a corporate network protected by a firewall.

Cloud-based implementations of IDE system 202 can facilitate collaborative development by multiple remote developers who are authorized to access the IDE services 802. When a system project 302 is ready for deployment, the project 302 can be commissioned to the plant facility via a secure connection between the office network 108 or the plant network 116 and the cloud platform 806. As discussed above, the industrial IDE services 802 can translate system project 302 to one or more appropriate executable files—control program files 702, visualization applications 704, device configuration files 708, system configuration files 812—and deploy these files to the appropriate devices in the plant facility to facilitate implementation of the automation project.

As noted above in connection with FIG. 8, some embodiments of IDE system 202 can reside on a cloud platform 806 and execute as a set of cloud-based IDE service 802 that are accessible to authorized remote client devices 504. This allows multiple end users to access and utilize the industrial IDE services 802 for development of industrial system projects 302. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating multi-tenancy of the cloud-based industrial IDE services 802 in which different remote client devices 504 a-504 c leverage the centralized industrial IDE services 802 to individually submit design input 512 directed to a common system project 302. Using this architecture, multiple remote developers can submit design input 512 to a common industrial automation system project 302, facilitating parallel development by multiple remote designers. The industrial IDE system 202 can support collaborative design tools that manage and regulate these diverse sets of design input 512 to ensure consistency and optimization of the system project 302.

In this example, the industrial IDE services 802 are made accessible to multiple authorized clients (associated with respective client devices 504 a-504 c) in a secure manner. Using respective design interfaces served to the client devices 504 a-504 c by the IDE services 802, developers at each client device can interface with the IDE services 802 to submit design input 512 a-512 c directed to a common industrial system project. As discussed above, IDE services 802 will generate and render individual design feedback 518 a-518 c to each user's client device 504 a-504 c as each user proceeds through their project development workflow. System project 302 is securely stored on the cloud platform 806 during development, and upon completion can be deployed from the cloud platform 806 to the automation system devices that make up the automation system from the cloud platform (as depicted in FIG. 8) or can be downloaded to a client device for localized deployment from the client device to one or more industrial devices. Since IDE services 802 reside on a cloud-platform with access to internet-based resources, some embodiments of the IDE services 802 can also allow users to access remote web-based knowledgebases, vendor equipment catalogs, or other sources of information that may assist in developing their industrial control projects.

Cloud-based IDE services 802 can support true multi-tenancy across the layers of authentication authorization, data segregation at the logical level, and network segregation at the logical level. End users can access the industrial IDE services 802 on the cloud platform 806, and each end user's development data—including design input 512, design feedback 518, and system projects 302—is encrypted such that each end user can only view data associated with their own industrial enterprise. In an example implementation, an administrator of the cloud-based industrial IDE services 802 may maintain a master virtual private cloud (VPC) with appropriate security features, and each industrial enterprise can be allocated a portion of this VPC for their own developer's access to the IDE services 802. In an example embodiment, an encrypted multi-protocol label switching (MPLS) channel can protect the entire corpus of an end user's data such that the data can only be viewed by specific computers or domains that have an appropriate certificate.

In some embodiments, IDE services 802 can permit different collaborative developers working on the same system project 302 to independently customize their version of the development platform interface as desired, and to interface with the master copy of the system project 302 with their own customized development interfaces. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating multi-tenancy of the cloud-based industrial IDE services 802 in which each client device 504 is permitted to separately customize their own development environment interfaces 1004 a-1004 c. In this example architecture, each client device 504 a-504 c can separately submit interface definition data 1002 a-1002 c to thereby separately configure their own customized development platform interfaces 1004 a-1004 c and preferred forms of dynamic design feedback.

Also, in some embodiments, the look and available functionality offered by a given instance of a development platform interface 1004 may be a function of a role of the developer accessing the IDE services 802, as determined by role or user identity information 1006 submitted by the developer. In such embodiments, the subset of available IDE functionality to be made available to a given developer role may be defined by user role definitions stored on the IDE system 202. The user interface component 203 and IDE editor 224 can access these user role definitions in view of the role and/or user identity information 1006 submitted by a developer to determine how that developer's customized interface 1004 should be customized In an example scenario, a developer having a lead developer role may be granted a broader set of development features—e.g., design override privileges, the ability to track design contributions of individual developers, etc.—relative to developers having subsidiary roles. In another example, the set of guardrail templates 506 applied within a given user's customized interface 1004 may be a function of the user's role, such that design modifications permitted to be submitted by the user is regulated by predefined guardrail templates 506 appropriate to the developer's role.

Collaborative tools supported by the IDE system 202 can manage design contributions from the multiple collaborative developers and perform version control of the aggregate system project 302 to ensure project consistency. In the context of this collaborative design environment, in which different individuals or groups perform parallel development on a common system project 302, there may be scenarios in which multiple developers submit design input 512 (e.g., control programming, visualization application development, device configuration settings, etc.) directed to the same portion of the system project 302. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating mediation or brokering between different sets of design input directed to the same aspect of a system project 302 according to some embodiments. In this example, multiple project developers working on development of a system project 302 for an industrial automation system have submitted, as part of design input 512, respective different, mutually exclusive versions of control code 1102 a-1102 c to be included in the system project 302. These versions of the control code 1102 may be, for example, alternative versions of a particular control routine, custom automation object, or another aspect of the system project 302.

The IDE system's collaboration management component 210 can compare control code 1102 submitted by multiple parties for the same code block and select the one of the alternative sets of control code 1102 for integration into the project. In this regard, collaboration management component 210 can apply any suitable criterion to select the preferred version of the control code 1102. For example, in some embodiments collaboration management component 210 can select the version of the control code 1102 that performs the same control function with the least lines of code. In another example, collaboration management component 210 may select the version of the code that is estimated to control its associated mechanical asset with the least stress on the machinery. In this case, estimations of the amount of stress applied to the controlled industrial assets can be determined by the collaboration management component 210 based on an analysis of the respective versions of the control code 1102 in view of built-in industrial expertise regarding how the respective control sequences will affect the mechanical assets.

For example, collaboration management component 210 may analyze each version of the control code 1102 to determine an estimated machine cycle frequency that will result from execution of each version of the control code 1102. Since higher frequencies correlate to faster machine wear, collaboration management component 210 may select the version of the control code 1102 that is estimated to perform the control function with a smallest machine cycle frequency without causing the product throughput to fall below a defined minimum In another example, collaboration management component 210 may estimate expected ranges of motion of a mechanical asset (e.g., a motion device) that will be implemented by each version of the control code 1102, or a number of individual mechanical motions that will be implemented by the respective versions of the control code 1102 to perform the same function, and select the version of the control code that is expected to implement the control function using the shortest motions or least number of motions. Other types of predictive control analysis and corresponding version selection criteria are within the scope of one or more embodiments. Based on results of such analyses, collaboration management component 210 can select one of the versions of the control code 1102 as being a most suitable version, and project generation component 206 will integrate this selected version of the code 1104 into the system project 302.

In some embodiments, collaboration management component 210 can leverage a simulation component 212 in connection with assessing the respective different versions of the control code 1102. Simulation component 212 can be configured to simulate control of an automation system (or a portion thereof) by the respective versions of the control code 1102 and provide results of the simulations to the collaboration management component 210, which selects the preferred version of the code 1104 based on these results. Any of the example types of assessment analyses described above may be performed using control simulations carried out by the simulation component 212. In some embodiments, simulation component 212 can leverage a digital model of the automation system for which system project 302 is being developed in connection with simulating the different versions of the control code 1102. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating interactions between a version of control code 1102 being tested and an automation system model 1202. In this example, the IDE system's simulation component 212 acts as an industrial controller emulator to execute control code 1102 (or control code portion) against automation system model 1202.

Automation system model 1202 can simulate various aspects of the physical industrial automation system to be monitored and regulated by the system project 302. Simulation component 212 can virtually interface control code 1102 with the automation system model 1202 to exchange virtual I/O data in order to simulate real-world control. Automation system model 1202 mathematically models the system to be regulated by generating digital and analog I/O values representing, for example, sensor outputs, metering outputs, or other plant data analogous to the data expected to be generated by the physical system being modeled. These inputs and outputs can be defined for each industrial asset by the model 1202.

Simulation component 212 provides this simulated output data 1208 to the control code 1102, which receives this data as one or more virtual physical inputs. Control code 1102 processes these inputs according to the developer's control programming and generates digital and/or analog controller output data 1206 based on the processing. This output data 1206 represents the physical outputs that would be generated by a controller executing control code 1102 and transmitted to the hardwired field devices comprising the automation system (e.g., PID loop control outputs, solenoid energizing outputs, motor control outputs, etc.). The controller output data 1206 is provided to the appropriate input points of the automation system model 1202, which updates the simulated output data 1208 accordingly.

Simulation component 212 can be configured to execute and monitor this simulation and to quantify one or more performance criteria based on results of the simulation that will be used by the collaboration management component 210 to select a preferred version of the control code 1102 for inclusion in system project 302. These performance criteria can include, for example, an amount of wear on the controlled mechanical equipment, an amount of energy consumed as a result of controlling the automation system using the control code 1102, an amount of product throughput as a result of controlling the automation system using the control code 1102, an amount of maintenance required, or other such criteria.

In some embodiments, if two or more of the different versions of control code 1102 are not necessarily mutually exclusive but overlap in some areas, collaboration management component 210 can manage comparing and merging the two or more versions within the master copy of the system project 302. This can include, for example, identifying and deleting redundant or identical code portions of the two or more versions, identifying competing versions of the same portion of control code and selecting a preferred version for inclusion in the system project 302, identifying conflicting control actions defined by two or more versions and either recommending a modification to resolve the conflict or automatically implementing the modification, or other such actions.

Although FIGS. 11 and 12 depicts the alternative design input as being control code 1102, collaboration management component 210 (with or without the assistance of simulation component 212) can also mediate or broker between other types of project elements, including but not limited to visualization aspects (e.g., HMI screens, AR/VR objects, etc.), device parameter settings, engineering drawings, etc.

Also, some embodiments of simulation component 212 can be configured to perform a risk analysis of a proposed update to the system project 302 submitted via a developer's design input 512. For example, in response to receipt of an update or revision to a portion of a control program included in the system project 302, simulation component 212 can initiate a risk analysis of the proposed update to determine possible ramifications of the update. As part of this risk assessment, simulation component 212 may perform a regression analysis on the system project 302 as a whole to determine which other aspects of the system project are likely to be affected by the proposed modification, and use simulation techniques or other types of analysis to determine how the update will affect performance of these other related aspects. Based on results of this analysis, the user interface component 204 may generate a message on the developer's interface 1004 warning of possible impacts of the modification on other portions of the system project 302, and prompt the user to acknowledge the warning prior to implementing the change into the system project 302.

In some embodiments in which different developers are working on respective different portions of the system project 302, the user interface component 204 may also send warnings or notifications to selected other developers whose portions of the system project 302 are determined to be affected by the initiating developer's proposed update. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating distribution of update notifications 1302 to selected developers in response to receipt of a proposed design modification 1304 from another developer (the developer associated with client devices 504 a in the illustrated example). As described above, submission of a design modification 1304 by a developer directed to a portion of the system project 302 can initiate a regression analysis on the system project 302 to identify other portions of the system project 302 that may be affected by the modification 1304. In various embodiments, collaboration management component 210 can identify the affected portions of the system project 302 based on learned interdependencies across the system project, including but not limited to programmatic relationships or dependencies between control code segments or routines, dependencies between control code segments and visualization elements, dependencies between control code and engineering drawings (e.g., I/O drawings, electrical drawings, panel layout drawings, etc.), or other such relationships. Collaboration management component 210 can also identify hierarchical relationships between automation objects and/or control code routines or modules defined by the project data model 602.

Based on these learned interdependencies, collaboration management component 210 can identify the portion of the system project 302 to which the design modification 1304 is directed, and further identify other portions of the system project 302 whose functions or responses may be affected by the design modifications. In embodiments in which different developers or groups of developers have been assigned to work on respective different portions or aspects of the system project 302, collaboration management component 210 can also identify the developers or groups who have been assigned to the affected portions of the system project 302, and user interface component 204 can send update notifications 1302 to the development interfaces 1004 associated with these affected portions (e.g., interfaces associated with client devices 504 b and 504 c in the illustrated example). These update notifications 1302 can include descriptions of the proposed modification 1304, an indication of a possible impact on the recipient's portion of the project 302, or other such information. In some embodiments, collaboration management component 210 may be configured to integrate the proposed design modification 1304 into the system project 302 only if all notification recipients submit an approval for the design modification, based on their own determinations that the proposed modification will not adversely affect their portions of the system project 302.

In addition to sending update notifications 1302 to the development interfaces 1004 of relevant developers while interfaced with the development platform, some embodiments of the IDE system 302 can include a notification component 214 configured to direct push notifications to the recipient developers' personal client devices, which are external to the development environment. FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating delivery of project development notifications to a personal client device. Within the context of this disclosure, a personal client device can be any type of computing device—e.g., a mobile device such as a smart phone or tablet computer, a laptop or desktop computer, or another type of computing device—that is owned by or issued to a user and is capable of receiving notifications (e.g., text messages, short message service messages, etc.) from a push notification service, and which is not necessarily interfaced with the IDE system's development environment at the time such notifications are received. In the example depicted in FIG. 14, a first client device 504 a belonging to a first developer is remotely connected to the IDE system 202, which resides on cloud platform 806 and executes as a set of cloud-based IDE service 802, as in previous examples. Through interaction with the developer's customized interface 1004 a, which is served to the client device 504 a by the IDE services 802, the first developer at client device 504 a submits a design modification 1304 directed to a system project 302 that is being developed in collaboration with other developers.

As in the example described above in connection with FIG. 13, upon receipt of the design modifications 1304 the collaboration management component 210 can identify portions of the system project 302 that are affected by the modification 1304 (e.g., a particular section of control code, a drawing set, a visualization application, etc.). These portions can include both the specific portion of the system project 302 to which the modification 1304 is directed as well as other portions of the project 302 that may be indirectly affected by implementation of the modification 1304. These affected portions of the project 302 can be determined based on known dependencies between portions of the project 302, as determined based on the programmatic relationships or dependencies between code segments or routines, dependencies between program code segments and visualization elements, dependencies between control code and engineering drawings, or other such relationships. The collaboration management component 310 can also determine affected portions of the project 302 based on dependencies learned by applying regression analysis to the system project 302 in some embodiments. Relationships between automation objects 222 (e.g., as defined by a project data model 602) included in the system project 302 can also be leveraged to determine portions of the system project 302 affected by the submitted design modification 1304.

Once the affected portions of the system project 302 have been identified, the notification component 214 identifies the developers who have been assigned to work on the affected portions of the system project 302 and generates an update notification 1402 for each developer. In this example, rather than, or in addition to, sending the notification 1402 to the IDE development interfaces 1004 of the other developers, as in the example described above in connection with FIG. 13, notification component 214 coordinates with a notification service 1406 to deliver the notifications 1402 to personal client devices belonging to the recipient developers (e.g., the developers' mobile phones or another personal device). Notification service 1406 can be a push or text notification service that executes either on the cloud platform 806 or on another public network accessible by the cloud platform 806 (e.g., as an internet-based service) and is configured to deliver push notifications or text messages to specified user devices, including but not limited to smart phones, desktop computers or laptop computers, or other devices.

The notification component 214 of the IDE system 202 can instruct the notification service 1406 to send each customized update notification 1402 to a personal client device 1404 belonging to the intended recipient of the notification 1402. In contrast to the notification scenario described above in connection with FIG. 13, these personal client devices 1404 need not be interfaced with the industrial IDE system 202 in order to receive the notifications 1402. In this way, developers are promptly informed of relevant project development events (e.g., modifications to system project 302) even if the developers are not currently interfacing with the IDE system 202 via development platform interfaces 1004. As illustrated in FIG. 15, once informed of the design modification 1304, the developer who receives the notification 1402 may choose to access the project 302 via the developer's development platform interface 1004 b (e.g., using another client device 504 b that the developer uses to access the IDE system 302), submit a request 1502 for the project updates, and pull the project updates 1504 for local viewing on interface 1004 b.

Each notification 1402 can include information similar to the information included in notifications 1302, including but not limited to a description of the modification 1304 that triggered the update notification 1402, a description of a possible impact on the recipient's portion of the project 302, or other such information. In some embodiments, the content of the notification 1402 may be partly a function of the recipient's role (e.g., lead developer or engineer, controls engineer, mechanical engineer, etc.). For example, a recipient having a supervisor role may require less detailed information regarding a project update than a recipient having a programmer's role. Accordingly, both recipients may receive a notification 1402 for a given project update, but the notification 1402 sent to the user having a programmer's role may include more detailed technical information regarding the update than the notification 1402 delivered to the supervisor.

In some embodiments, notification component 214 can select recipients to be notified of a given design modification 1304 by determining which portions of system project 302 are affected by the modification 1304, identifying a subset of developers who have been assigned to work on those affected portions, and selecting those developers as recipients to be notified of the modification 1304. In another scenario, if the modification 1304 affects a portion of the system project 302 that relates to a particular machine or production area, the notification component 214 can identify developers or engineers who are assigned to that machine or production area and select those developers as recipients who are to be sent a notification 1402.

In some embodiments or scenarios, when the IDE system 202 receives a submitted design modification 1304 from a developer, implementation of the submitted modifications 1304 into the system project 302 can be made contingent on approval from one or more other developers. In such embodiments, the design modification 1304 can be made provisional as the update notifications 1402 are sent to the other developers whose approval is required. The set of other developers whose approval is required for a given modification 1304 may be a function of the aspect of the system project 302 to which the modification is directed. When the recipients receive the notification 1402 on their personal client devices 1404, the notification 1402 can include a control that permits the recipient to submit an approval for the modification 1304 to the IDE system 202 from their personal device 1404. This approval can be submitted to the IDE system 202 via the notification service 1406 or another separate cloud-based or web-based service, allowing the approval to be submitted without being logged into the IDE system 202. Upon receipt of all necessary approvals in this manner, the IDE system 202 will apply the modification 1304 to the system project 302.

In addition to notifying developers of modifications 1304 made to the system project 302 itself, some embodiments of notification component 214 can also generate and send notifications 1402 in response to other events that occur within the IDE system's project development environment. For example, changes to shared library content—e.g., addition of newly available automation objects 222, visualizations 510, code modules 508, etc.) can trigger delivery of update notifications 1402 informing developers of the new content. In this scenario, the recipients can be selected based on a determined relevance of the new library content to the developers (e.g., a determination that the new content may be relevant to a portion of the system project 302 to which the developer is assigned).

In another example, notification component 214 can generate and deliver notifications 1402 in response to detection of a critical event relating to the system project 302. This can include generating and sending notifications 1402 to selected developers in response to a project compilation or validation failure. Notifications 1402 can also be sent in response to detected security events. For example, if an attempt by a user to log into the IDE system 202 is rejected due to an authentication failure, or if multiple concurrent logins under a same user identity are detected, the notification component 214 can generate and send notifications 1402 directed to appropriate administrators or lead developers informing of the potential security issue.

Some embodiments of notification component 214 can also be configured to generate and deliver notifications 1402 in response to issues relating to deployment of the system project 302 by the project deployment component 208 (as described above in connection with FIGS. 7 and 8). This can include notifying selected developers assigned to a project 302 when the project 302 has been deployed to industrial devices, or when an attempt to deploy the project 302 has failed.

Some embodiments of notification component 214 can allow each developer to set notification preferences that control how and when project update notifications 1402 are delivered to the developer's personal device 1404. This can include, for example, specifying types of design modifications 1304 for which the developer wishes to receive notifications 1402. For example, the developer may wish to be informed of any project modifications that affect portions of the system project 302 to which the developer is assigned regardless of the type of modification (e.g., modifications to control programming, device configuration, engineering drawings, visualization applications, etc.). Alternatively, the developer may wish to be informed only when the modification 1304 affects a portion of the system project 302 (e.g., a portion of control programming, an engineering drawing, an HMI screen, etc.) specified by the developer as part of the developer's notification preferences. In yet another example, the developer may specify one or more machines or production areas of interest, such that the developer will only receive notifications 1402 for modifications 1304 that affect these specified portions of the project 302. A developer may also specify that push notifications 1402 are only to be sent to the developer's personal client device 1404 if the developer is not currently logged onto the IDE system 202 and therefore cannot receive notifications 1302 via the IDE interface 1004. These notification preferences can be defined in the IDE system 202 by each developer, and notification component 214 will customize delivery of updated notifications 1402 to each developer in accordance with that developer's defined preferences.

Users may also define customized triggers for notifications 1402 in some embodiments. For example, via the developer's customized development interface 1004, the developer may define a request to be notified when a long-running automated development task—e.g., a compilation process, a validation process, etc.—is completed. Based on this trigger definition, the notification component 214 will send a notification 1402 to the developer's personal device 1402 in response to completion of the task, thereby allowing the developer to leave the development environment as the task executes and to remain notified of the task's progress via the developer's personal mobile device 1404. Developers may also submit a request to be notified when a specified development task has been completed by another developer (e.g., completion of a programming task, completion of a drawing task, etc.). Based on this request, the notification component 214 will monitor development activity on the system project 302 to determine when the specified task has been completed, and in response to completion of the task, send a notification 1402 to the developer's personal mobile device 1404 indicating that the task has been completed.

By leveraging a notification service to deliver push notifications to developers' personal mobile devices in response to system project updates, embodiments of the industrial IDE system 202 can assist project developers to respond more quickly to project updates implemented in the shared development platform, even if the recipient is not currently logged into the development platform.

Although preceding examples have described these notification aspects within the context of IDE system 202, it is to be appreciated that any notification system capable of sending push notifications to personal client devices (e.g., smart phones or other personal devices) in response to events originating within an industrial development environment, even if the client devices are not currently interfaced with the development platform, are within the scope of one or more embodiments of this disclosure.

FIGS. 16-17 illustrates example methodologies in accordance with one or more embodiments of the subject application. While, for purposes of simplicity of explanation, the methodologies shown herein are shown and described as a series of acts, it is to be understood and appreciated that the subject innovation is not limited by the order of acts, as some acts may, in accordance therewith, occur in a different order and/or concurrently with other acts from that shown and described herein. For example, those skilled in the art will understand and appreciate that a methodology could alternatively be represented as a series of interrelated states or events, such as in a state diagram. Moreover, not all illustrated acts may be required to implement a methodology in accordance with the innovation. Furthermore, interaction diagram(s) may represent methodologies, or methods, in accordance with the subject disclosure when disparate entities enact disparate portions of the methodologies. Further yet, two or more of the disclosed example methods can be implemented in combination with each other, to accomplish one or more features or advantages described herein.

FIG. 16 illustrates an example methodology for delivering push notifications relating to events that originate within an industrial project development environment. Initially, at 1602, industrial IDE development interfaces are rendered on respective client devices associated with respective different developers who are collaboratively developing an automation system project. In some embodiments, the IDE development interfaces can be served to the client devices by a cloud-based industrial IDE service that delivers the IDE interfaces to authorized client devices that remotely interface to the cloud platform. At 1604, industrial design data for the automation system project is received via interactions with the IDE development interfaces.

At 1606, a determination is made as to whether a modification to an aspect of the system project is received from a first system developer via one of the IDE development interfaces. The aspect to which the modification is directed may be, for example, an industrial control program, a human-machine interface visualization design, a device configuration parameter, an engineering drawing, or another aspect of the automation project being developed. If such a modification is received (YES at step 1606), the methodology proceeds to step 1608, where a determination is made as to whether the modification is determined to affect other aspects of the system project. In some embodiments, this determination can be made based on a regression analysis performed on the system project as a whole to determine which other aspects of the system project are likely to be affected by the proposed modification.

If the modification is determined to affect other aspects of the system project (YES at step 1608), the methodology proceeds to step 1610, where push notifications identifying the modification are delivered to personal client devices (e.g., smart phones, desktop or laptop computers, etc.) belonging to one or more second system developers assigned to work on the other aspects of the system project via their respective development interfaces. These push notifications can be delivered to the personal client devices even if those devices are not currently logged onto or otherwise interfaced with the industrial development platform in which the modification was implemented. Other types of modifications or events within the development environment for which push notifications can be delivered can include, but are not limited to, additions or edits to shared library content within the development environment, security events relating to unauthorized or suspicious logins to the development environment, project validation or deployment issues, or other such events.

FIG. 17 illustrates an example methodology 1700 for receiving customized notifications of events that originate within an industrial project development environment. Initially, at 1702, industrial IDE development interfaces are rendered on respective client devices associated with respective different developers who are collaboratively developing an automation system project, the development interfaces providing access to an industrial project development platform. At 1704, a request to be notified of a specified event relating to development of an industrial automation system project on the development platform is received from a developer or another type of user via interaction with one of the IDE development interfaces. This event can be, for example, completion of a project development task (e.g., completion of a portion of control code or another section of the system project), completion of a long running automated task within the development environment, validation of the automation system project, deployment of the automation system project, or other events within the development environment.

At 1706, industrial design data for an automation system project is received via interactions with the IDE development interfaces. At 1708, during this project development process, a determination is made as to whether the event specified at step 1704 is detected within the development environment. If the event is detected (YES at step 1708), a push notification for the event is delivered to a personal client device (e.g., a smart phone) associated with the developer who requested the notification at step 1704. The notification can be pushed to the developer's personal device even if the personal device is not currently logged onto or otherwise interfaced with the industrial development environment.

Embodiments, systems, and components described herein, as well as control systems and automation environments in which various aspects set forth in the subject specification can be carried out, can include computer or network components such as servers, clients, programmable logic controllers (PLCs), automation controllers, communications modules, mobile computers, on-board computers for mobile vehicles, wireless components, control components and so forth which are capable of interacting across a network. Computers and servers include one or more processors—electronic integrated circuits that perform logic operations employing electric signals—configured to execute instructions stored in media such as random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), a hard drives, as well as removable memory devices, which can include memory sticks, memory cards, flash drives, external hard drives, and so on.

Similarly, the term PLC or automation controller as used herein can include functionality that can be shared across multiple components, systems, and/or networks. As an example, one or more PLCs or automation controllers can communicate and cooperate with various network devices across the network. This can include substantially any type of control, communications module, computer, Input/Output (I/O) device, sensor, actuator, and human machine interface (HMI) that communicate via the network, which includes control, automation, and/or public networks. The PLC or automation controller can also communicate to and control various other devices such as standard or safety-rated I/O modules including analog, digital, programmed/intelligent I/O modules, other programmable controllers, communications modules, sensors, actuators, output devices, and the like.

The network can include public networks such as the internet, intranets, and automation networks such as control and information protocol (CIP) networks including DeviceNet, ControlNet, safety networks, and Ethernet/IP. Other networks include Ethernet, DH/DH+, Remote I/O, Fieldbus, Modbus, Profibus, CAN, wireless networks, serial protocols, and so forth. In addition, the network devices can include various possibilities (hardware and/or software components). These include components such as switches with virtual local area network (VLAN) capability, LANs, WANs, proxies, gateways, routers, firewalls, virtual private network (VPN) devices, servers, clients, computers, configuration tools, monitoring tools, and/or other devices.

In order to provide a context for the various aspects of the disclosed subject matter, FIGS. 18 and 19 as well as the following discussion are intended to provide a brief, general description of a suitable environment in which the various aspects of the disclosed subject matter may be implemented. While the embodiments have been described above in the general context of computer-executable instructions that can run on one or more computers, those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments can be also implemented in combination with other program modules and/or as a combination of hardware and software.

Generally, program modules include routines, programs, components, data structures, etc., that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. Moreover, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the inventive methods can be practiced with other computer system configurations, including single-processor or multiprocessor computer systems, minicomputers, mainframe computers, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, distributed computing systems, as well as personal computers, hand-held computing devices, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics, and the like, each of which can be operatively coupled to one or more associated devices.

The illustrated embodiments herein can be also practiced in distributed computing environments where certain tasks are performed by remote processing devices that are linked through a communications network. In a distributed computing environment, program modules can be located in both local and remote memory storage devices.

Computing devices typically include a variety of media, which can include computer-readable storage media, machine-readable storage media, and/or communications media, which two terms are used herein differently from one another as follows. Computer-readable storage media or machine-readable storage media can be any available storage media that can be accessed by the computer and includes both volatile and nonvolatile media, removable and non-removable media. By way of example, and not limitation, computer-readable storage media or machine-readable storage media can be implemented in connection with any method or technology for storage of information such as computer-readable or machine-readable instructions, program modules, structured data or unstructured data.

Computer-readable storage media can include, but are not limited to, random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM), flash memory or other memory technology, compact disk read only memory (CD-ROM), digital versatile disk (DVD), Blu-ray disc (BD) or other optical disk storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, solid state drives or other solid state storage devices, or other tangible and/or non-transitory media which can be used to store desired information. In this regard, the terms “tangible” or “non-transitory” herein as applied to storage, memory or computer-readable media, are to be understood to exclude only propagating transitory signals per se as modifiers and do not relinquish rights to all standard storage, memory or computer-readable media that are not only propagating transitory signals per se.

Computer-readable storage media can be accessed by one or more local or remote computing devices, e.g., via access requests, queries or other data retrieval protocols, for a variety of operations with respect to the information stored by the medium.

Communications media typically embody computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other structured or unstructured data in a data signal such as a modulated data signal, e.g., a carrier wave or other transport mechanism, and includes any information delivery or transport media. The term “modulated data signal” or signals refers to a signal that has one or more of its characteristics set or changed in such a manner as to encode information in one or more signals. By way of example, and not limitation, communication media include wired media, such as a wired network or direct-wired connection, and wireless media such as acoustic, RF, infrared and other wireless media.

With reference again to FIG. 18 the example environment 1800 for implementing various embodiments of the aspects described herein includes a computer 1802, the computer 1802 including a processing unit 1804, a system memory 1806 and a system bus 1808. The system bus 1808 couples system components including, but not limited to, the system memory 1806 to the processing unit 1804. The processing unit 1804 can be any of various commercially available processors. Dual microprocessors and other multi-processor architectures can also be employed as the processing unit 1804.

The system bus 1808 can be any of several types of bus structure that can further interconnect to a memory bus (with or without a memory controller), a peripheral bus, and a local bus using any of a variety of commercially available bus architectures. The system memory 1806 includes ROM 1810 and RAM 1812. A basic input/output system (BIOS) can be stored in a non-volatile memory such as ROM, erasable programmable read only memory (EPROM), EEPROM, which BIOS contains the basic routines that help to transfer information between elements within the computer 1802, such as during startup. The RAM 1812 can also include a high-speed RAM such as static RAM for caching data.

The computer 1802 further includes an internal hard disk drive (HDD) 1814 (e.g., EIDE, SATA), one or more external storage devices 1816 (e.g., a magnetic floppy disk drive (FDD) 1816, a memory stick or flash drive reader, a memory card reader, etc.) and an optical disk drive 1820 (e.g., which can read or write from a CD-ROM disc, a DVD, a BD, etc.). While the internal HDD 1814 is illustrated as located within the computer 1802, the internal HDD 1814 can also be configured for external use in a suitable chassis (not shown). Additionally, while not shown in environment 1800, a solid state drive (SSD) could be used in addition to, or in place of, an HDD 1814. The HDD 1814, external storage device(s) 1816 and optical disk drive 1820 can be connected to the system bus 1808 by an HDD interface 1824, an external storage interface 1826 and an optical drive interface 1828, respectively. The interface 1824 for external drive implementations can include at least one or both of Universal Serial Bus (USB) and Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 1394 interface technologies. Other external drive connection technologies are within contemplation of the embodiments described herein.

The drives and their associated computer-readable storage media provide nonvolatile storage of data, data structures, computer-executable instructions, and so forth. For the computer 1802, the drives and storage media accommodate the storage of any data in a suitable digital format. Although the description of computer-readable storage media above refers to respective types of storage devices, it should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that other types of storage media which are readable by a computer, whether presently existing or developed in the future, could also be used in the example operating environment, and further, that any such storage media can contain computer-executable instructions for performing the methods described herein.

A number of program modules can be stored in the drives and RAM 1812, including an operating system 1830, one or more application programs 1832, other program modules 1834 and program data 1836. All or portions of the operating system, applications, modules, and/or data can also be cached in the RAM 1812. The systems and methods described herein can be implemented utilizing various commercially available operating systems or combinations of operating systems.

Computer 1802 can optionally comprise emulation technologies. For example, a hypervisor (not shown) or other intermediary can emulate a hardware environment for operating system 1830, and the emulated hardware can optionally be different from the hardware illustrated in FIG. 18. In such an embodiment, operating system 1830 can comprise one virtual machine (VM) of multiple VMs hosted at computer 1802. Furthermore, operating system 1830 can provide runtime environments, such as the Java runtime environment or the .NET framework, for application programs 1832. Runtime environments are consistent execution environments that allow application programs 1832 to run on any operating system that includes the runtime environment. Similarly, operating system 1830 can support containers, and application programs 1832 can be in the form of containers, which are lightweight, standalone, executable packages of software that include, e.g., code, runtime, system tools, system libraries and settings for an application.

Further, computer 1802 can be enable with a security module, such as a trusted processing module (TPM). For instance with a TPM, boot components hash next in time boot components, and wait for a match of results to secured values, before loading a next boot component. This process can take place at any layer in the code execution stack of computer 1802, e.g., applied at the application execution level or at the operating system (OS) kernel level, thereby enabling security at any level of code execution.

A user can enter commands and information into the computer 1802 through one or more wired/wireless input devices, e.g., a keyboard 1838, a touch screen 1840, and a pointing device, such as a mouse 1842. Other input devices (not shown) can include a microphone, an infrared (IR) remote control, a radio frequency (RF) remote control, or other remote control, a joystick, a virtual reality controller and/or virtual reality headset, a game pad, a stylus pen, an image input device, e.g., camera(s), a gesture sensor input device, a vision movement sensor input device, an emotion or facial detection device, a biometric input device, e.g., fingerprint or iris scanner, or the like. These and other input devices are often connected to the processing unit 1804 through an input device interface 1844 that can be coupled to the system bus 1808, but can be connected by other interfaces, such as a parallel port, an IEEE 1394 serial port, a game port, a USB port, an IR interface, a BLUETOOTH® interface, etc.

A monitor 1844 or other type of display device can be also connected to the system bus 1808 via an interface, such as a video adapter 1846. In addition to the monitor 1844, a computer typically includes other peripheral output devices (not shown), such as speakers, printers, etc.

The computer 1802 can operate in a networked environment using logical connections via wired and/or wireless communications to one or more remote computers, such as a remote computer(s) 1848. The remote computer(s) 1848 can be a workstation, a server computer, a router, a personal computer, portable computer, microprocessor-based entertainment appliance, a peer device or other common network node, and typically includes many or all of the elements described relative to the computer 1802, although, for purposes of brevity, only a memory/storage device 1850 is illustrated. The logical connections depicted include wired/wireless connectivity to a local area network (LAN) 1852 and/or larger networks, e.g., a wide area network (WAN) 1854. Such LAN and WAN networking environments are commonplace in offices and companies, and facilitate enterprise-wide computer networks, such as intranets, all of which can connect to a global communications network, e.g., the Internet.

When used in a LAN networking environment, the computer 1802 can be connected to the local network 1852 through a wired and/or wireless communication network interface or adapter 1856. The adapter 1856 can facilitate wired or wireless communication to the LAN 1852, which can also include a wireless access point (AP) disposed thereon for communicating with the adapter 1856 in a wireless mode.

When used in a WAN networking environment, the computer 1802 can include a modem 1858 or can be connected to a communications server on the WAN 1854 via other means for establishing communications over the WAN 1854, such as by way of the Internet. The modem 1858, which can be internal or external and a wired or wireless device, can be connected to the system bus 1808 via the input device interface 1842. In a networked environment, program modules depicted relative to the computer 1802 or portions thereof, can be stored in the remote memory/storage device 1850. It will be appreciated that the network connections shown are example and other means of establishing a communications link between the computers can be used.

When used in either a LAN or WAN networking environment, the computer 1802 can access cloud storage systems or other network-based storage systems in addition to, or in place of, external storage devices 1816 as described above. Generally, a connection between the computer 1802 and a cloud storage system can be established over a LAN 1852 or WAN 1854 e.g., by the adapter 1856 or modem 1858, respectively. Upon connecting the computer 1802 to an associated cloud storage system, the external storage interface 1826 can, with the aid of the adapter 1856 and/or modem 1858, manage storage provided by the cloud storage system as it would other types of external storage. For instance, the external storage interface 1826 can be configured to provide access to cloud storage sources as if those sources were physically connected to the computer 1802.

The computer 1802 can be operable to communicate with any wireless devices or entities operatively disposed in wireless communication, e.g., a printer, scanner, desktop and/or portable computer, portable data assistant, communications satellite, any piece of equipment or location associated with a wirelessly detectable tag (e.g., a kiosk, news stand, store shelf, etc.), and telephone. This can include Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) and BLUETOOTH® wireless technologies. Thus, the communication can be a predefined structure as with a conventional network or simply an ad hoc communication between at least two devices.

FIG. 19 is a schematic block diagram of a sample computing environment 1900 with which the disclosed subject matter can interact. The sample computing environment 1900 includes one or more client(s) 1902. The client(s) 1902 can be hardware and/or software (e.g., threads, processes, computing devices). The sample computing environment 1900 also includes one or more server(s) 1904. The server(s) 1904 can also be hardware and/or software (e.g., threads, processes, computing devices). The servers 1904 can house threads to perform transformations by employing one or more embodiments as described herein, for example. One possible communication between a client 1902 and servers 1904 can be in the form of a data packet adapted to be transmitted between two or more computer processes. The sample computing environment 1900 includes a communication framework 1906 that can be employed to facilitate communications between the client(s) 1902 and the server(s) 1904. The client(s) 1902 are operably connected to one or more client data store(s) 1908 that can be employed to store information local to the client(s) 1902. Similarly, the server(s) 1904 are operably connected to one or more server data store(s) 1910 that can be employed to store information local to the servers 1904.

What has been described above includes examples of the subject innovation. It is, of course, not possible to describe every conceivable combination of components or methodologies for purposes of describing the disclosed subject matter, but one of ordinary skill in the art may recognize that many further combinations and permutations of the subject innovation are possible. Accordingly, the disclosed subject matter is intended to embrace all such alterations, modifications, and variations that fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

In particular and in regard to the various functions performed by the above described components, devices, circuits, systems and the like, the terms (including a reference to a “means”) used to describe such components are intended to correspond, unless otherwise indicated, to any component which performs the specified function of the described component (e.g., a functional equivalent), even though not structurally equivalent to the disclosed structure, which performs the function in the herein illustrated exemplary aspects of the disclosed subject matter. In this regard, it will also be recognized that the disclosed subject matter includes a system as well as a computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing the acts and/or events of the various methods of the disclosed subject matter.

In addition, while a particular feature of the disclosed subject matter may have been disclosed with respect to only one of several implementations, such feature may be combined with one or more other features of the other implementations as may be desired and advantageous for any given or particular application. Furthermore, to the extent that the terms “includes,” and “including” and variants thereof are used in either the detailed description or the claims, these terms are intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprising.”

In this application, the word “exemplary” is used to mean serving as an example, instance, or illustration. Any aspect or design described herein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other aspects or designs. Rather, use of the word exemplary is intended to present concepts in a concrete fashion.

Various aspects or features described herein may be implemented as a method, apparatus, or article of manufacture using standard programming and/or engineering techniques. The term “article of manufacture” as used herein is intended to encompass a computer program accessible from any computer-readable device, carrier, or media. For example, computer readable media can include but are not limited to magnetic storage devices (e.g., hard disk, floppy disk, magnetic strips . . . ), optical disks [e.g., compact disk (CD), digital versatile disk (DVD) . . . ], smart cards, and flash memory devices (e.g., card, stick, key drive . . . ). 

What is claimed is:
 1. A system for collaborative cloud-based development of industrial applications, comprising: a processor, operatively coupled to a memory that executes executable components stored on a memory, wherein the processor and memory reside on a cloud platform, and the executable components comprise: a user interface component configured to render integrated development environment (IDE) interfaces on respective client devices that remotely interface with an industrial project development environment on the cloud platform, and to receive, via interaction with the IDE interfaces, industrial design input that defines aspects of an industrial automation project; a project generation component configured to generate system project data based on the industrial design input; and a notification component configured to, in response to detection of an event originating within the industrial project development environment that is classified as a notification event, initiate sending of a push notification directed to a personal client device associated with a user designated to be notified of the event.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the personal client device is a smart phone, and the notification component is configured to initiate the sending of the push notification independently of whether the smart phone is logged onto the industrial project development environment.
 3. The system of claim 1, wherein the event is a modification to an aspect of the system project data, the modification comprising at least one of a modification to control code, a modification to a visualization application, a modification of an industrial device configuration parameter, or a modification to an engineering drawing.
 4. The system of claim 3, wherein the notification component is configured to send the push notification to personal client devices, including the personal client device, associated with users assigned to develop the aspect of the system project data.
 5. The system of claim 4, wherein the project generation component is configured to apply the modification to the system project data in response to receipt of approvals from the personal client devices, and the system is configured to receive the notifications independently of whether the personal client devices are logged onto the industrial project development environment.
 6. The system of claim 4, wherein the aspect of the system project data is a first aspect, the notification component is further configured to, in response to detection of the modification, send another push notification to another personal client device associated with a user assigned to develop a second aspect of the system project data that is predicted to be affected by the modification, and the second aspect is identified based on a learned interdependency between the first aspect and the second aspect.
 7. The system of claim 1, wherein the event is an addition or a modification to content of a development library that stores at least one of code modules, visualization objects, or automation objects capable of integration into the system project data.
 8. The system of claim 1, wherein the push notification comprises a description of the event and an expected effect of the event on the system project data.
 9. The system of claim 1, wherein the event is at least one of an event relating to validation of the system project data, an event relating to deployment of the system project data to one or more industrial devices, detection of an failed login to the industrial project development environment, detection of multiple concurrent logins to the industrial project development environment under a same user identity, or detection of a compilation error of the system project data.
 10. The system of claim 1, wherein the notification component is configured to initiate the sending of the push notification in accordance with a defined notification preference associated with the user, the defined notification preference comprising at least an instruction to be notified of events relating to portions of the system project data relating to a specified a machine, production area, or automation system.
 11. The system of claim 1, wherein the user interface component is configured to receive, via interaction with one of the IDE interfaces, an instruction to be notified of a custom-specified event within the industrial project development environment, and the notification component is configured to send another push notification to the personal client device in response to detecting occurrence of the custom-specified event within the industrial project development environment.
 12. The system of claim 1, wherein content of the push notification is a function of a defined role of the user designated to be notified of the event.
 13. A method, comprising: rendering, by a system that executes on a cloud platform and comprises a processor, integrated development environment (IDE) interfaces on respective client devices communicatively connected to the cloud platform, the IDE interfaces providing access to an industrial project development platform; generating, by the system, system project data based on industrial design input received from the client devices via interaction with the IDE interfaces, wherein the industrial design input defines aspects of an industrial control and monitoring project; and in response to detecting an event originating within the industrial project development platform that is classified as a notification event, sending, by the system, a push notification directed to a personal client device associated with a user assigned to be notified of the event.
 14. The method of claim 13, wherein the personal client device is a smart phone, and the sending comprises sending the push notification independently of whether the smart phone is logged onto the industrial project development platform.
 15. The method of claim 13, wherein the detecting of the event comprises detecting a modification to an aspect of the system project data, the modification comprising at least one of a modification to control code, a modification to a visualization application, a modification of an industrial device configuration parameter, or a modification to an engineering drawing.
 16. The method of claim 13, wherein the detecting of the event comprises detecting an addition or a modification to content of a development library that stores at least one of code modules, visualization objects, or automation objects capable of integration into the system project data.
 17. The method of claim 13, wherein the event is at least one of an event relating to validation of the system project data, an event relating to deployment of the system project data to one or more industrial devices, detection of an failed login to the industrial project development environment, detection of multiple concurrent logins to the industrial project development environment under a same user identity, or detection of a compilation error of the system project data.
 18. The method of claim 13, further comprising: receiving, by the system via interaction with one of the IDE interfaces, an instruction to be notified of a custom-specified event within the industrial project development environment, and in response to detecting occurrence of the custom-specified event within the industrial project development environment, sending, by the system, another push notification to the personal client device.
 19. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions that, in response to execution, cause a system comprising a processor and executing on a cloud platform to perform operations, the operations comprising: rendering, on respective client devices, integrated development environment (IDE) interfaces that provide access to an industrial project development platform; generating system project data based on industrial design input received from the client devices via interaction with the IDE interfaces, wherein the industrial design input defines aspects of an industrial automation project; and in response to detecting an event originating within the industrial project development platform that is classified as a notification event, sending a push notification directed to a personal client device associated with a user assigned to be notified of the event.
 20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the personal client device is a smart phone, and the sending comprises sending the push notification independently of whether the smart phone is logged onto the industrial project development platform. 